BASEBALL; Focused on Retooling Rotation, Yanks Deal Wright

By TYLER KEPNER

Published: November 13, 2006

The baseball off-season, so often a drama in slow motion, is on fast forward for the Yankees. Before he boarded a plane yesterday for the general managers meetings in Naples, Fla., the Yankees' Brian Cashman had already accomplished more since season's end than most of his counterparts.

The Yankees are closing in on a new contract for starter Mike Mussina, they traded outfielder Gary Sheffield to Detroit on Friday, and yesterday they sent starter Jaret Wright to Baltimore for reliever Chris Britton.

''So far, we are being aggressive if something makes sense,'' Cashman said. ''We've made two trades before the G.M. meetings even start; I've been with the Yankees for 20 years, and I don't remember that ever happening. We're ready and prepared to hit the ground running.''

The Yankees could have let Wright go by paying a $4 million buyout, or brought him back at a $7 million salary. Instead, they found an alternate solution: They sent the $4 million and Wright to the Orioles, who were eager to reunite Wright with the pitching coach Leo Mazzone.

''In this marketplace, there's value in having a starter for $3 million,'' said Jim Duquette, the Orioles' vice president for baseball operations. ''And the last time Leo and Jaret were together, in Atlanta, it was a pretty positive experience. We thought it would be a good chance to get them reunited and hope for similar results.''

Working with Mazzone for the Braves in 2004, Wright went 15-8 with a 3.28 earned run average and piqued the interest of the Yankees, who signed him as a free agent. But his uneven performance over two years -- 16-12 with a 4.99 E.R.A. -- made him expendable.

Wright's departure leaves the Yankees thin in the rotation past Chien-Ming Wang and Mussina, whose agent, Arn Tellem, said through a spokeswoman that he and Cashman had been having positive talks.

The Yankees and Mussina have been discussing a two-year contract that would probably pay Mussina about $11 million a season.

''Arn and Brian have had very productive talks and are making very good progress,'' said the spokeswoman, Erin Estrada.

Yesterday was the first day teams could make offers to free agents on other teams, and the Yankees will probably try to sign two starters from a market that includes Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt, Jeff Suppan, Ted Lilly, Randy Wolf and Gil Meche.

As for the Japanese starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Yankees have little hope of signing him. Matsuzaka's team, the Seibu Lions, has not formally accepted the highest bid for his negotiating rights, but the Boston Red Sox are expected to have made it. An announcement could come today.

The courtship of Matsuzaka could begin an aggressive winter for the Red Sox, who are said to have strong interest in J. D. Drew, who opted out of the three years and $33 million remaining on his Los Angeles Dodgers contract. If he signs with Boston, he would replace Trot Nixon in right field.

The Yankees' lineup is mostly set, with a right-handed-hitting first baseman -- Nomar Garciaparra, perhaps -- the most pressing need. The rotation is much less stable, with Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano coming off injuries.

But Cashman said the Yankees were comfortable enough with their prospects to let Wright go. He named Jeff Karstens, Darrell Rasner, Phil Hughes, Humberto S?hez, Tyler Clippard and Steven White as potential options.

''We've got a lot of depth to the starting rotation that's coming from the farm system that will give us some choices,'' Cashman said. ''The last few days, we've shed a lot of payroll. My goal is to obviously reduce the team's payroll and increase the team's talent pool in terms of choices and flexibility. Hopefully, these last two deals have done that.''

The trade of Sheffield, which saved the Yankees $13 million, brought two Class A relievers and S?hez, a Class AAA starter. The Wright trade brings Britton, a right-hander who turns 24 next month and went 0-2 with a 3.35 E.R.A. in 52 games as a rookie.

Britton has struggled with weight issues; he is 6 feet 3 inches and weighed 280 pounds by the end of last season. But he has two minor league options remaining and joins a setup group that includes Brian Bruney, Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth.

''We're trying to transition to a younger, more flexible roster, and Chris Britton did a nice job last year,'' Cashman said. ''We feel he could be a long-term asset. We're trying to be the best we can be in '07 while trying to improve our long-term hopes as well.''

It was the first trade between the American League East rival Yankees and Orioles since 1992, when the Yankees traded pitcher Alan Mills to Baltimore for prospects. The Yankees had made a deal with every other major league team in the meantime.

''It's hard to make a trade within the division, and I think they felt similarly,'' Duquette said. ''You really have to be careful.''

Photos: The Yankees acquired reliever Chris Britton, above, from the Orioles yesterday in the first trade between the teams since 1992. Jaret Wright will be reunited in Baltimore with the pitching coach Leo Mazzone. (Photos by Left, Steve Nesius/Associated Press; Richard Perry, The New York Times)